Breakdown of watasi ha murina yakusoku ha sinai. zikan ga nakereba ikeru hazu ga nai kara da.
はha
topic particle
私watasi
I
がga
subject particle
からkara
reason particle
時間zikan
time
するsuru
to do
だda
to be
ないnai
not exist/have
行けるikeru
to be able to go
〜ない〜nai
negative form
あるaru
to exist/have
はずhazu
expected; supposed to
無理なmurina
impossible
約束yakusoku
promise
〜なければ〜nakereba
negative conditional form
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have hundreds of Japanese lessons and thousands of exercises.
Questions & Answers about watasi ha murina yakusoku ha sinai. zikan ga nakereba ikeru hazu ga nai kara da.
Why are there two は in the first sentence?
- 私は sets the overall topic: "as for me."
- 無理な約束は adds a contrastive/topic focus: "as for unreasonable promises, (I) don't make them."
- You can also say 無理な約束をしない, which is more neutral. …はしない highlights what you specifically don’t do (as opposed to other kinds of promises).
What does 無理な約束 mean, and why is there a な?
- 無理 is a na-adjective meaning "unreasonable/impossible/excessive."
- Na-adjectives take な before a noun: 無理な約束 = "an unreasonable promise."
What exactly does 時間がなければ mean?
- From 時間がない ("there is no time") + the -ば conditional of ない → なければ.
- Meaning: "if there is no time."
- Nuance: -ば often expresses a logical condition/cause-effect.
Is this the "must" grammar (…なければならない／いけない)?
- No. Here なければ simply means "if [not]."
- "Must" needs ならない／いけない: e.g., 行かなければいけない = "must go."
What is 行ける?
- The potential form of 行く ("can go").
- Godan potential pattern: 行く→行ける, 書く→書ける, 飲む→飲める.
How is 行けるはずがない different from simply 行けない?
- 行けない: "can't go" (plain inability or prohibition).
- 行けるはずがない: "there’s no way I can go" — a stronger, reasoned impossibility based on expectation (here: lack of time).
Why is there a が in はずがない? Can I say はずはない?
- はずがない is the most common fixed phrasing for "there’s no way."
- はずはない is also correct; は adds contrast/emphasis ("at least, it shouldn’t be so"). …がない sounds more categorical.
Why does the second sentence end with からだ?
- …からだ means "It’s because …" and explicitly presents the reason for the previous statement.
- Polite: …からです.
- If you put the reason first, you don’t need …だ: 時間がなければ行けるはずがないから、無理な約束はしない。
Could I say 行くはずがない instead of 行けるはずがない?
- 行くはずがない: "there’s no way (I/they) will go" (likelihood/intent).
- 行けるはずがない: "there’s no way (I) can go" (ability/possibility).
- Here the point is inability due to time, so 行ける fits better.
Why is が used in 時間がない and not は?
- 時間がない states a plain fact ("there isn’t time").
- 時間はない is contrastive ("as for time, there isn’t any"), implying comparison with something else. が is more neutral here.
Is the pronoun 私 necessary in the second sentence?
- No. Japanese commonly drops known subjects. The second sentence omits 私; it’s understood from context.
How do I say this politely?
- 私は無理な約束はしません。時間がなければ行けるはずがないからです。
Can I combine the two sentences into one?
- Yes: 時間がなければ行けるはずがないから、私は無理な約束はしない。
- Another natural style: 無理な約束はしない。なぜなら、時間がなければ行けるはずがないからだ。
Are spaces between words normal in Japanese?
- No. They’re for learners. Standard writing: 私は無理な約束はしない。時間がなければ行けるはずがないからだ。
Is there any difference between はずがない and わけがない?
- Both mean "there’s no way."
- わけがない is often a bit more colloquial/emphatic ("no chance at all").
- Here, 行けるはずがない and 行けるわけがない are both fine; はず can feel slightly more reason-based.
Can I use だから instead of からだ?
- Yes, but the structure changes:
- Reason → result with だから: 時間がなければ行けるはずがない。だから、無理な約束はしない。
- Result → reason with …からだ／です: 無理な約束はしない。時間がなければ行けるはずがないからだ。